Entries Tagged 'travel' ↓

It always feels a little odd to start a post without Heather says:. It’s total muscle memory. I open a post and my fingers start typing.

For the past few months I’ve been helping out the Blissdom Crew with the website. There hasn’t been anything crazy hard, but I’m actually quite proud of the layout for these two pages: Blissdom Conference Schedule and Blissdom Wisdom Workshops. Sure tables are old school, but sometimes they are the only real option for visually organizing the information. Megan is the speaker coordinator, she selected the speakers, figured out the schedule, and wrote the copy. I’m just happy with the final result.

I’ll be presenting at two Wisdom Workshops and naturally they are back to back, because I am some sort of pressure junkie. At first I could just get by with the pressure of one presentation, now there must be new and exciting twists in addition to the whole get up and talk in front of others pressure.

I’ll be presenting with Rachel Matthews of A Southern Fairytale, for the Food Niche workshop. If you’re heading to Blissdom and you write about food, you need to find and glom on to Rachel and me, we’re supposed to herd you into some sort of cohesive tribe by the end of the event. We’ll have a blast. We’re there to answer questions and help make you feel welcome. It’ll be fun.

I’m also joining Molly Thornberg of Digital Mom Blog on the Ultimate Toolkit presentation. I’m stoked as this is right up my alley. I love the tools that make online life easier.

I’ll be heading up to Nashville, probably with Kelby Carr and  Margo Millure, if our schedules all coordinate. Hopefully Margo won’t kick my seat the entire 9 hour drive, but you never know when you take on a virtual stranger.

The Opryland is a lovely hotel; it’s lush and beautiful, and balmy. The perfect humidity, but if you look closely, you may be reminded of the compounds in Oryx and Crake. After all, there are no bugs and it never storms.

I’m stoked and it’s over a month away.

This summer has flown by. My father usually vacations in Myrtle Beach the last week of July. It’s been a 25 year tradition. He couldn’t make it and we were able to find someone to watch the dog (thanks Mom!), so we’re here for a day or two.

The kids are so young that they aren’t aware of the things they could be begging for. We’re grateful and will spend today at the beach and by the pool.

It’s been ten years since a certain wild week, but my sister remembers it s the year I decorted her shoes. It’s funny, taking the kids to the pool, how things have changed. I’m not jumping in squealing with delight, I’m catching Ellie as she steps from the side.  I’m not walking as fast as I can skirting the edge of the, “Hey! No running on the pool deck!” I’m not trying to catch anyone’s eye.

I am however looking over those who are in my shoes, catching kids and keeping order. Toweling, sun blocking, gathering up piles of dive sticks and noodles Are these the boys I once wished would look my way? Are these the girls I envied? And for the love of God please don’t recognize me if you do remember that summer, it was a different life.

I am stuffed to the gills, my feet are propped up, I’m editing photos and enoying the sound of waves crashing on the beach. 

I was lucky enough to get some promotional work for MyrtleBeachHotels.com. The kids and I are staying at the Caribbean Resort and playing tourist in Myrtle Beach. We are having a blast and Ripley’s Aquarium was the icing on the cake.

Enjoy some photos.

Exciting stuff!

Registration is now live for April 19th’s CreateSouth New Media Conference.

Dave Slusher writes:

If you are a professional journalist or a politician or a pastor or a musician and want to learn how to make new media work in your career, this is for you. If you have wanted to blog or podcast or videoblog but aren’t sure where to start, this is for you. The goal of this conference is to get the newbies and the wizards together in the same room, talking and hanging out and sharing meals. Our focus is hands on demonstration and we are assembling the program right now to reflect that. The idea of the conference is that if there is some project you want to do but haven’t tackled because the learning curve is too high, you should walk out of the conference knowing where to start and maybe with an email address or three of people that can help you if you get into trouble.

I’m very excited to be a part of this.  The family and I will be making a weekend out of the conference.  If you consider doing the same, let me know and I’ll see what I can do to help you find accommodations.

I’ve had a blast on this trip.  It’s been fun to visit with those I am close to, when our day to day lives have so much distance between us.

• I finally got to meet Newscoma and I look forward to speaking with her in the future when my rugrats are not dominating the scene.
• I have learned it just isn’t a trip until someone spews.  This year it is Mark.
• I am critically behind in e-mail, but I’ve decided to just let that go until Wednesday.
• I am dreading today’s five hour drive, but it could be ten.  Thank you Carye!
• The kids are clingy.
• I’m aggravated.
• It is all worth it.